Archive for July, 2009

I admit that a nutmeg grinder sounds like a pretty geeky gadget. In fact, not that long ago, I pooh-poohed the mere concept of freshly ground nutmeg that same way I pooh-poohed that of freshly ground black pepper. Who has the time, when you could just as easily scoop the same spice out of a jar all ready to go? And this still remains a fine strategy as far as I’m concerned.

Just like any cook worth her salt arguing for fresh ground black pepper, though, I’m going to plead my case for fresh grinding nutmeg: it’s a small thing that makes a big impact.

For convenience and to keep the nuts fresh, I keep my nutmeg grinder, which also holds nuts in compartments on top, in the refrigerator.

After very carefully showing Carter the slit on the bottom toavoid, I held the grinder and let him turn the handle for the first time when we made banana bread last weekend. Having him marvel at the smell made it even more worthwhile than the added flavor.

A good way to teach kids to pour liquids (for example, their own cup of milk) is to first pour it into a small pitcher and have them practice pouring from there into a cup. I learned this tip from author Nancy Hall when I was editing the book Gymboree’s 365 Activities You and Your Child Will Love. I started doing this with Carter ages ago and still do it, using a 1- or 2-cup liquid measuring cup. He likes pouring his own milk without any mishap, and I don’t mind the mitigated risk of spills, either.

]No kitchen should be without a Oxo mini angled liquid-measuring cup, a ¼ cup measuring cup lets you measure up to 4 tablespoons of a liquid in a pitcher. I like it because I can measure liquid ingredients in advance and avoid over-pouring mishaps common to traditional tablespoon.

More important, though, it makes it much easier for kids to measure and/or pour small quantities of liquids, like the 1 tablespoon of oil in Saturday’s banana bread. I measured. Carter poured.

I’ve made “simple” (non-yeast) cinnamon rolls, but it was still a lot of work. As an experiment today, Carter and I rolled out Trader Joe’s whole-wheat pizza dough, brushed with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar, rolled up, sliced into 12 pieces, and baked for 15 minutes at 425F. Pretty close to instant. Here are the sticky details.

To prevent dough from sticking, sprinkle flour on a large sheet of wax paper, and flour hands and rolling pin. Roll out dough into thin layer in the shape of rectangle. Brush top generously with melted butter. Combine cinnamon and sugar in the jar with a sprinkle top. Generously sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over butter. Roll up dough from a long side. Using serrated knife, slice through layers to make 12 pieces and evenly space in baking pan. Bake 15 minutes or until dough is browned and firm to touch. Let cool and sprinkle with leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture.

When I asked Carter his favorite part of making cinnamon rolls, I expected him to say the rolling or the sprinking, which he did with gusto. His answer was painting the butter, so I have to mention yet another Oxo gadget I love the silicone pastry brush. (I promise I’m not a company shill.)

Finally dealing with the black bananas in the fridge. Carter wasn’t interested until I got out the red whisk. (Red is his absolute favorite color in the whole wide world.) Then he really got into it.

This recipe is a healthy take on a childhood classic from Real Food for Healthy Kids. It’s rare that I find a cookbook from which I make more than one recipe, a true hallmark of success in the cookbook world (we cookbook readers aspire more than we execute). Written by two working moms, Tracey Seaman and Tanya Wenman Steel, Real Food for Healthy Kids is one of those books.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and reserve.

Beat the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the bananas, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and mix at low speed until blended.

Add the flour mixture and mix at low speed just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips or nuts and the scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour, until a cake tested inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the bread cool for 15 minutes in the pan on a rack, then turn out and let cool before cutting.

Carter has been watching me take pictures of his baking and the results, so he decided to get out his camera and record the evidence for himself: the last two Finnley’s Super Muffins.

This morning, Carter said “No thank you” to a muffin offer. Tonight, after he heard that our neighbor Paul, who’s also a 4-year-old boy, ate three of them, he decided to try one after all. And then another one. And then take Daddy the last one—so he wouldn’t “miss out.”

"Wash your hands and put on your apron." My 10-year-old son, Carter, knows the first steps to baking. After all, he's been cracking eggs since he was 3. I work at home as a freelance editor and writer specializing in home and family. Read about our adventures in the kitchen and in life.